Rabu, Desember 31, 2008

Not Mine!



that one is Ranti, taken by Imam.

you see, sometimes proof of scientific research appeared in everyday life but we might not know it. maybe you have heard of Six Degree of Separation. i suggest you google that up.

anyway, at one Saturday night, Prabu -- whom i made acquaintance with from Aris -- want to pick his friend that he said was waiting for him. that friend turned out to be Ranti.

Ranti told me that she was being picked up from Omuniuum, where her friend own the joint.

oh, is that right? i asked, while wearing a straight face. what i didn't tell her that i knew whom she refer to as friend. i just texted our mutual friend asking about Ranti which i got confirmation a few minutes later.

even after we drop Ranti to her house, i still didn't mention that beside Prabu, me and her have another common friends. what's the point, anyway?

Jumat, Desember 26, 2008

What 2009 Will Bring?

What is the year 2009 have in store?
Will the next year will be better than this or the yesteryear?
Am I okay just doing things as it usually is?
Or should I find another work?
I don't know. Not now.
Maybe I'll be better to be just grateful for everything I already have.
Hm, counting a few days left before the new year.

Senin, Desember 22, 2008

Can't Wait And Wonder ....

When will I get Trivium's Shogun album? The original and legal Indonesian release?
I'm afraid that I'd resort to Kota Kembang in Bandung to obtain that album. Which I'm afraid is not right because it certainly be pirated.

Cahaya Hati Spesial: Akibat Menikahi Anak Di Bawah Umur

Sebuah sinetron yang satu episode selesai, ditayangkan di televisi swasta, pada malam Senin tadi, mengisahkan tentang seorang pria tua kaya (diperankan komedian Tarsan), menikahi seorang gadis cantik di bawah umur. Bapak si anak gadis yang mata duitan mau saja menyerahkan anak gadisnya -- meskipun ditentang oleh istrinya -- karena diiming-imingi keuntungan materi.

Nah, yang lucu adalah dalam sinetron ini dijelaskan bagaimana seorang Tarsan -- dengan gaya yang komikal -- tidak berhasil menikmati malam pertamanya dengan anak gadis di bawah umur yang baru saja dinikahinya itu (dia kalah gesit dari anak yang masih muda itu yang berlari menghindari dipaksa berhubungan badan dengan Tarsan).

Bahkan ketika dia berusaha mengejar istrinya itu, dia malah dikira maling dan digebuki orang-orang siskamling karena dikira pemerkosa anak kecil.

Yang membuat tayangan ini lebih menarik, ada iklan di bagian bawah tentang pengumuman pelaksanaa nikah massal untuk warga Jabotabek yang tidak mampu, cukup dengan mendaftar dan melampirkan syarat-syaratnya, antara lain surat keterangan tidak mampu dan surat keterangan domisili dari pihak yang berwenang.

Akhirnya si pria tua kaya meninggal karena serangan jantung setelah bersumpah dengan membawa-bawa nama Allah.

Si bapak penjual anak yang melihat peristiwa itu jadi menyesal.

Cerita selesai.

Kesimpulan: durasi tayangan dan kualitas cerita sinetron Indonesia ternyata masih belum bisa diharapkan.

Jumat, Desember 19, 2008

!!!

And where in hell is the Indonesian release of:



Helloooooooo.....???

Kamis, Desember 18, 2008

One Naive Optimist

So it's finally clear.

The financial crises that happened everywhere hit the company I work at. As per yesterday, I got a notice slip stated my bonus and thirteenth salary (or in Indonesia, it's called Tunjangan Hari Raya), with a twelve percent cut compared to last year.

It really make me uncomfortable. But what should I do? Complain? Protest? I don't think so.

One thing that cross my mind is that I should thank God, because this year I learned a lot. And though my condition -- financially, that is -- somehow a little bit gloomy and even gloomier next year, at least I still had a paying job that I don't have to resort to asking help from my parents.

The last time I asked for their help, financially, was when I went to Kalimantan four and a half years ago. I needed money to buy airplane ticket and some pocket money till I got my first salary.

I should really made my experience a lesson and just being optimist for the time being. At least at my current state, I'm better off that a few millions other Indonesian. I still have money, although just a little. But it's better than nothing.

And I'm better than some Bank Century customers who got swindled out of their money/savings.

I just have the flu right now, not that kind of sickness or disease that made me have to resort to continuous medication; or hospitalization; or have to maintain special diet otherwise I could get worse physically.

I am in a healthy mental state.

I can't afford fancy food on exotic restaurants but at least I can eat three times a day including snacks.

And I don't have to worry about what to wear because in my workplace what matters more is our performance and not what brand you wear today or what style that is the most current and whether I'm keeping with it or not.

Although I made some erroneous spending but all of that have been fixed already.

Maybe I can't borrow my office's car this year for personal end of year celebration, but at least there is a motorcycle that I can use. All I have to do is fill her gas up.

And I didn't have any issue with the law that keep taking up my time, not like some high-profile people you see in the news today.

Oh yes, I still have a couple of books waiting to be read by me, so I didn't have to buy any other book for a couple of months.

Yes, maybe all that points above, are minuscule points that surely you would think: Is this guy serious? But his current state of life seem really sucks!

I say: Hey, don't you read the title? Don't you read a statement in the post? I AM BETTER OFF THAN A FEW MILLIONS OF OTHER INDONESIAN. And I'm certainly better off than million upon million of those African that suffer famine, plague, or thousands percent inflation rate that made their money worthless.

That definitely provide a ground for me to be optimist. Or not.

Minggu, Desember 14, 2008

Run, Pepper, Run!


Run, Pepper, Run!, originally uploaded by Norby.

Ini mungkin bisa dijadikan inspirasi personal project photography-ku.
Evoke so much emotion to me. Dan aku sangat suka! Suka! Suka! Komposisi dan warnanya...

Sabtu, Desember 13, 2008

Depresi Lagi

Tadi pergi ke pameran di JCC Senayan.
Entah kenapa, tiap kali ke pameran di lokasi yang sama -- kali ini pameran sepeda motor -- selalu saja aku merasa depresi tiap kali dalam perjalanan pulang.
Aku tak tahu ya, tapi sepertinya selalu saja gloomy.
Apa karena maagku sedang kambuh?
Enggak juga sih, soalnya pas pameran komputer Indocomtech kemarin aku tidak sedang maag kok. Tapi tetap saja akhir-akhirnya aku merasa depresi.
Sucks.
Mungkin ada sesuatu di kompleks JCC itu yang membuatku tidak merasakan senang.
Rasanya tiap kali ke sana masuk membayar admission fee, tetap saja aku keluar dari gedung merasa tertekan.
Feeling worthless.
Kenapa ya?

Jumat, Desember 12, 2008

Mungkin Ini Bisa Menjadi Sebuah

Wiken Ceria(r)!!!

Ada sebelas film yang baru saja kutambahkan ke daftar film untuk ditonton:

01. Cat Girl Kiki
tagline: She's the purrfect girlfriend... Because her love has nine lives!

02. Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood's newest movie.

03. You Don't Mess With The Zohan

04. The House Bunny

05. Futurama: Bender's Game

06. Dance of The Dead
(hm... what if your prom night was disrupted by ZOMBIE ATTACK!!!)

07. My Name Is Bruce
tagline: Fearless! Unstoppable! Ready For His Close-Up!

08. Rob Zombie's Halloween (Unrated Director's Cut)

09. Max Payne
tagline: Hell Bent on Revenge

10. The Underdog Knight

11. The Insatiable Ironbabe
(the reason I pick this because it has "From The Creator of Spider-Babe" which I had watched a couple of years ago -- a hilariously bad movie)

Nah, setelah membaca daftar di atas, mungkin saja ada judul yang akan ku-skip saja karena tidak menarik. Paling juga akan menambah panjang judul film yang belum kutonton...

Let Me Quote You: Michael Crichton's "State of Fear"

The fact that so many people were executed for a fantasy -- and despite the reservations of prominent skeptics -- carries a lesson that we must always bear in mind. The consensus of the intellegentsia is not necessarily correct, no matter how many believe it, or for how many years the belief is held. It may still be wrong. In fact, it may be "very" wrong. And we must never forget it. Because it will happen again. And indeed it has.

Kamis, Desember 11, 2008

Let Me Quote You: Guy Tal's "Six Silver Bullets"

Ask yourself honestly why you make images in the first place, and if anywhere in there is the desire to share something with others -- be it beauty, ideas, inspiration or story -- you owe it to your art to make sure it's dressed up to the nines before you strut it in front of those you wish to impress. Don't quit before the finish line.

(as published in Outdoor Photographer monthly-magazine, November 2008)

Selasa, Desember 09, 2008

Stage Photograpy

Once again I went for a stage photography hunt, this time at the Final Battle of Djarum Black Autoblackthrough in JCC Plenary Hall at Senayan.



I saw a lot of guys taking pictures of sexy girls and cars. But I decided not to do it. Because I brought my 50mm f/1.4 AIs lens which I haven't mastered yet. I just tried to take some pictures of the displayed cars but not even one that really getting my attention.

Maybe because I just on the way to tune in on stage photography that I want to do -- the real reason why I even went there amid the heavy rain and the hefty ticket price tag of Rp.50.000,00! Crap. That damn EO surely are robbing us compared to the neighboring Jakarta Motorcycle Show just put the tag of Rp.20.000,00. Or the Indocomtech computer exhibition that put the price of admission just Rp.5.000,00!!!



But I paid that for the chance of seeing Andra and The Backbone and Mulan Jameela performing live on stage, which both artists I never had the chance of seeing them, before this opportunity.



Those two pictures are from hundreds of photos I took during their show.
Love them artists!
Keep doing gigs man (and ma'am)!!!

Sabtu, Desember 06, 2008

My Life Sucks

Lately.
My life sucks. Big time.
Especially when I'm in the place of being the scapegoat.
Sucks.
I am really tired, and stressed out, and think that there's a decline in the life's worth.
Shit. I'm not even sure why I wrote these things down.

Selasa, Desember 02, 2008

OMG! You're Beautiful!

(but very insultingly stupid)

1. Halo?

Sekedar menyapa blog-ku saja.

Sebenarnya banyak sekali yang ingin kutulis tapi entah kenapa begitu membuka laptop, semua pikiran dan ide di dalam otakku lari berhamburan bersembunyi di dalam sudut gelap dan celah sempit di dalam kepala.

Mungkin aku harus memakai metode baru untuk "menangkap" dan "merekam" semua ide-ide yang ada sehingga tak ada satu pun yang bisa lolos lagi. Begitu mereka muncul, langsung HAP! Tangkap dan simpan. Cultivate and reap.

That'll mean MORE blog post!